Casino Royale reset the James Bond franchise in 2006 by replacing the increasingly self-parodic tone of Pierce Brosnan’s later films with a more grounded, psychologically complex spy thriller. Daniel Craig’s Bond is presented as a morally conflicted government-sanctioned assassin, closer to Ian Fleming’s original conception than a superhero-style action figure.

The film explores Bond at the beginning of his career, including how he earns his licence to kill and gradually becomes the familiar cultural icon. Its closing scene, in which Bond tracks down Mr White and finally says, “The name’s Bond. James Bond,” links Craig’s reboot to the franchise’s established history while marking the character’s transformation.